Every
once in a while a performer comes along, who transcends the medium he is
working in. Ian Bostridge is just such a performer. For us, he has come
to symbolize spirituality in art. It might seem redundant
to describe classical music (and Schubert Lieder in particular) as
spiritual, and yet in today's world "spirituality" is quite the
last word to be used in praise of someone's performance. Perhaps, it is
a sign of the times that this quality is no longer valued (neither in
life nor in art). Or perhaps, it is just assumed that the work of a
truly great composer can survive any performance and still retain
its inherent spiritual value. The latter might be true to some extent
- and yet how much greater the impact of a work of
Mozart, Beethoven or Mahler in the hands of Furtwangler or
Bernstein!

And Ian
Bostridge has become a master of Lieder (German art songs) on that
level. Somehow he is able to unearth more of the spiritual
depths of the great Lieder masterpieces than any other performer and
make their inherent spirituality much more tangible, more alive and more
significant for a contemporary audience. It is not only his superb
diction combined with impeccable intonation that makes this
possible, but above all else, it is his connection to the Ray of Purity
in Creation. Purity has nothing to do with puritanism, but is a natural
and necessary condition of the healthy spirit. Since most of us have
completely lost touch with this basic quality of the spirit, it
becomes essential to be reminded of what it feels like when the strings
of one's soul are touched in this very special, delicate and
indescribable way. This is where all genuinely great art has
its high Calling. It is not necessary (though preferable, of course)
that an artist's whole life should already be based on purity, what is
necessary is that in the act of the execution of his Calling he is
able to find a connection to Purity, which alone opens the gate to that
level of artistry we generally regard as
"sublime'. This is also the reason why Mr. Bostridge's voice
possesses such youthful freshness, which many people have already
commented on. Purity always has this refreshing and uplifting effect,
because it issues from the child-like quality of the imperishable spirit
and is not dependent on the person's actual
age.

In this
article, we will focus on just a few highlights of his career so far and
try to offer a deeper insight into a far-reaching impact that a great
artist's work has not only on this world, but also on the
Creation at large.